The Cause and Effect Corollary
by donnaj1025
Summary: Amy and Sheldon have moved forward in their relationship, but a swirl of fate could either end it or make it stronger.


Prologue

Sheldon was jolted awake by the sound of his phone alarm going off on the nightstand next to Amy's bed. He reached over and tapped it to quiet. He looked over and saw Amy faced to the window and huddled under the covers, her dark hair barely visible on the pillow. He edged his body up against her back, slipping his hand under the sheets, resting it on her stomach. His lips nestled close to her ear and whispered, "Morning", as he planted small kisses along her neck to the top of her shoulder.

Amy moaned. "It's morning already?" She slowly turned her body towards Sheldon and he scooped her into his arms.

"I'm afraid so." Sheldon gazed down at her face. "But, it is a bit earlier than it would normally be." His hand slid upwards, stopping to cup her breast. "I wanted to make love to you before we have to go to work, so I set the alarm to wake us up sooner."

Amy looked up at him and smiled. "You did, huh?"

"Yeah. I am a sneaky little devil, I know. But, I so enjoy what you do to me." His hand reached outside of the covers and pulled them back. "Your touch, your kisses, they light a fire in me Amy and I never want it to stop." His hands moved to shift her body underneath his as he laid on top of her. Sheldon stared into her eyes. He never tired of looking into them.

Amy put her arms around his neck. "I don't want it to ever stop either. I love what you do to me. You take me to such heights of pure joy, that my body seems to crave it all the time, like an addiction." She pressed her body against his. "I need you to satisfy my craving."

"With pleasure, my love." His lips bent to her mouth, forcing her lips apart, his tongue drinking in the hotness that he never tired of tasting. Amy's hands dug into his back as she moved them up and down his spine. Sheldon removed his mouth from hers and bent his head , to her breasts. His tongue began to explore the sensitive buds which firmed instantly under his touch and she gasped as his gentle massage caused her senses to flow and ebb like a fast moving tide. He shifted slightly off of her and as he worked his mouth across her firm globes, his hand traced a zig-zag across her soft abdomen until it found the moistness it sought. His fingers played and stroked the folds causing Amy to press herself against his search and she let out a small cry as his movement across the warmth of her center increased in intensity.

Sheldon raised his head and searched her face.. "Something wrong?" he asked as he continued to explore inside and out of the wetness. He grinned as she stared at him, the flushness of her cheeks betraying the pleasure his hand had brought forth.

"Please, Sheldon." she pleaded.

Sheldon laughed softly as he moved their bodies so that they were laying facing each other. He leaned in and crushed his lips to hers, demanding and passionate; Amy returned his kiss, hard and searching. Her hand moved lower to touch his hardness, and he moaned through their shared kiss. He eased his body to lay on his back, nestling his head into the pillow. Amy moved to sit astride his hips and guided him inside. Sheldon arched his body to push himself deeper and pulled Amy against him. His hands wound themselves in her long hair as he brought her face close to his. "I love how you feel inside, so warm and perfect, like you were only meant for me."

Amy studied his face, his blue eyes popping out sensuality like fireworks on a warm summer night. "I was only meant for you Sheldon. I am the other half of your soul that you were supposed to find, and you are mine."

She lifted herself up and rested her hands on the pillow beneath his head. Her body began to find the rhythm she wanted and Sheldon rubbed his hands up and down her arms, to her breasts, to her stomach, to her hips. He moved her hair back so he could see her face and his skin seemed to light on fire, as he witnessed the look of immense pleasure that had deepened her features. His hands gripped her hips pushing them down and she moved her hands to his back, pulling him toward her.

Sheldon sat up and Amy positioned her legs around him and he began to match her tempo, his large hands digging into her buttocks. She pushed herself against his chest and her mouth swooped down to his lips. She ground her hips against him and Sheldon groaned as he felt the vibrations building inside her, the intensity at which they moved through her body was threatening to send him past the point of no return.

He attempted to hold back the rising tide of orgasmic hotness that was coursing through his blood, but the fierceness of her passion was too much and as he felt the shuddering waves of Amy's completeness, he let the dam break and soon they were both shuddering at the crashing waves of unbridled rapture buffeting their senses. Sheldon let go of her lips as he struggled to catch his breath. Short moans of ecstasy escaped from Amy as he buried his face against her breasts and hugged her. Amy laid her head on his shoulder, her hands rubbing his back, allowing themselves the serenity of holding one another in the quiet stillness of the creeping dawn.

Sheldon raised his head and gazed into her eyes. His hand came up to push her hair behind her ear. "I love you Amy, more than I ever thought possible. I know what I am about to say may not be the time or place you expected, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He moved apart from her and stretched himself over the side of the bed. He reached down into his pants strewn on the floor and pulled out a small jewelry box from one of the pockets.

Amy gasped and her hand flew to her mouth as she realized what he was about to do.

Sheldon opened the velvet-covered box and pulled out an emerald cut diamond ring. He looked at her, his eyes warm and soft, "Amy Farrah-Fowler will you marry me?"

She began to cry. "Oh Sheldon, yes, a thousand times yes."

He took her left hand in his and slowly slid the ring onto her fourth finger. He studied it for a second and raised his head. His heart squeezed in his chest as she held up her hand and admired it, the tears streaming down her face.

Amy moved closer to him and he took her in his arms. She kissed his cheek. "This was the perfect time Sheldon. What could be better than right here in bed, alone, with no one else around?"

"Well, I know women like to have the whole dinner, wine and the gentleman getting down on one knee thing. And, I had planned to do something similar later this evening in front of all our friends, but I couldn't help myself. I didn't want to wait any longer."

Amy grinned. "Well, I think the way you were going to do it would have been special, but this was so much better." She hugged him. "I will never tire of your surprises Sheldon. Never."

He took her face into his hands. "And, I promise to always keep you on your toes sweetheart." His lips placed a small kiss across her swollen mouth.

"So, how long had you been planning to surprise me tonight?" Amy asked.

"A couple of weeks." Sheldon grinned. "It took me awhile to find the ring I wanted for you and I finally found the right one yesterday."

"And, how did you determine that this was the right one?" Amy held up her hand to look at the diamond, moving her hand back and forth.

"I kind of cheated." He flashed a crooked smile at her. "I saw that bridal magazine you thought you had been keeping secret and you had the page turned down that had a ring quite similar to this one."

"I was hoping you wouldn't see that Sheldon, I didn't want you to think I was trying to be pushy."

"It's okay; I didn't think that at all because it sure made my task a lot easier." He smiled. "I was so afraid I would pick something out that you wouldn't like."

"That would never happen Sheldon." She laid a hand on his arm. "As long as I get to be with you for the rest of my days, you could have given me a ring from a Cracker Jack box and I would have been content."

His mouth curved into a thoughtful smile. "I will always be there for you Amy. You have made my life worth something more than worrying about a Nobel Prize on the mantel. Not that having it isn't a big deal, but it is not the main focus of my life these days. You are."

"I love you so much." Amy hugged him tightly.

Sheldon wrapped his long arms around her and laid his head against her cheek. "I love you too. Now come on, we had better get going."

They eased their bodies apart. Sheldon looked down at her left hand. "I did want to ask you something. While I know you will want to wear it all day and show it off, would you mind waiting until tonight? I think they deserve to be told first. After all, if it hadn't been for Howard and Raj setting us up on a blind date, we wouldn't be here planning a future with each other."

"Not at all, I too want to surprise them, so we will keep it a secret until then." She took the velvet box from the bed and set her ring inside. Scooting off the bed, Amy placed it on the nightstand. "Let's go Dr. Cooper, I want this day over in a hurry, so I can come back and make love to my fiancée." She turned and headed out of the bedroom.

Sheldon climbed out of bed and followed her. "Fiancée. mmm...It does have a nice ring to it."

Chapter One

The sun had started its slow descent into the western sky, and the last rays of light bounced off the top of the Rose Bowl in the distance. A winsome blonde leaned against a blue Mitsubishi in the parking lot of the Walgreens at North Lake and East Orange Grove, her eyes misty as she stared across the miles. Her fist pounded the top of the car and she began to pace back and forth.

"Hurry up, Anna!" A voice hissed at her. She looked up to stare at the young man who stood on the sidewalk leading up to the door. He glared at her from his dark eyes as he pushed a dreadlock out of his face. His blue hoodie hung open, revealing an Avenged Sevenfold t-shirt, stretched and faded from too many washings. Anna stopped and stared at him for a second, her eyes falling on the hand in the pocket cradling a small handgun. She walked over to him zipping her sweatshirt up and crossing her arms.

"We don't need to do this Michael. I'll find another way to get us the money." Anna stood next to him; her blue eyes searched his face. She hoped to find some small semblance of hesitation, that he knew he was making a mistake.

Michael pulled her by the arm to the front of the building and stopped next to the Redbox machine. He moved his face closer to hers. "I am not letting you call your father again, because I know that is what you are planning to do. I know you did that before." His voice dropped to a whisper.

Anna gulped. "How do you know that?"

"I overheard you on the phone." He spat out quietly.

"Why didn't you say something if it bothers you so much?"

"Because we needed the money in a hurry, and I didn't want to argue with you about it then."

"So you would rather risk getting arrested or worse, than letting me get it elsewhere?"

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it as he noticed a woman walking close to where they were standing. Anna turned her head slightly to look at her and scrunched her eyebrows together.

"What's wrong?" Michael asked.

"She looks kind of familiar, but I am sure it can't be her. It was a really long time ago, and this person couldn't be the same woman anyway. The one I knew was so geeky and nerdy looking, certainly not pretty like her."

"Well, make sure you don't let her see your face just in case."

Anna smirked at him and leaned against the wall, her hand reaching into her pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. Her slim fingers set one between her lips. Her hand began to tremble. She slipped it in her jeans pocket, pulling out a lighter. She cupped her other hand over it to steady her nerves as the flame set the end on fire. Taking a huge drag, she exhaled angrily and glanced over at her boyfriend.

"Come on, let's get this crapshoot over with. If I am going to be thrown in jail for helping you rob the corner drugstore I'd like to do it before midnight so I can be there in time for breakfast." Anna took a few more drags of her cigarette before she threw it to the floor. Her foot tromped on it and wiggled back and forth to put it out and stormed off to the entrance.

Michael leaned back against the Redbox machine and banged his head against the side. He then stood up straight, zipped up his jacket and followed her.

Amy barely glanced at the man and woman as she headed inside the Walgreens. She had noticed that they appeared to be arguing before she walked by, but clammed up as the man noticed her. Now that she had been in this long relationship with Sheldon, one that had been fraught with moments of madness and glee, Amy could feel empathy for others dealing with the same kind of conflict. She reached into her purse on her shoulder and checked to make sure her phone was on and fully charged. Sheldon had become quite protective of her of late and was adamant that she never go anywhere without a working phone. Not that he hadn't always done that since they had been together, but he seemed to be more neurotic about it these days.

As she headed for the liquor department, she saw her reflection in a full length mirror for sale and smiled to herself. No longer did she dress herself in layers of shirts, cardigans and skirts. Penny had insisted that just because she was a scientist she did not need to dress like one outside of work and had made sure that Amy get a full makeover in the wardrobe department. She rarely wore skirts outside of work these days and found great joy in wearing nice jeans and tops. She worried that Sheldon would object, but he didn't. He actually liked her new look and never stopped complimenting on how pretty she looked when they were out in public. She never thought she would be in such a good place in her life, full of food, wine, friendships and a diamond ring on her finger. Glancing down at her left hand, she felt a slight tear escape from her eye. She had gone all day letting it sit in its velvety softness, but now that she was on her way to Sheldon's, she had stopped to put it on when she left work.

Amy found the red wine section and spent a few moments studying the different bottles. Penny had asked her if she would stop and pick up some for dinner at Sheldon and Leonard's. Final move out details hadn't quite finished, but soon Leonard and Penny would be moving into one of the larger apartments on the second floor and she would be moving in with Sheldon. As her hand settled on a Pinot Noir, her ears picked up yelling coming from the front part of the store. She froze. The next words she heard made her blood turn cold.

"Everyone get over there and don't move."

Amy could hear footsteps and a woman start crying.

"Open that register and give me all the money inside!" A male's voice echoed throughout the store.

Amy inched her way towards the front. Her eyes fell on the man and woman who had been arguing outside and the gun he was pointing at the clerk. She stopped in her tracks. The woman turned around and saw her.

"Get over here with the others!" she yelled. "And, no heroics either." Anna gave Amy a second glance, trying to determine if she was indeed someone she knew.

"Sure, no problem." Amy replied, her voice calm. She walked over to the two other customers that were standing near the end of the register area. Both of them were young women in their twenties, frightened and shaking. "Shhh, it will be okay." Amy looked at them and smiled. Both appeared to be young college students, one was blonde and tanned, the other Asian with small, dark rimmed glasses that framed her delicate face. She then looked back at the couple, her eyes falling on the woman trying to figure out what was so bad for her that resorting to robbery was the only way out.

"Hurry up!" Michael yelled at the clerk behind the counter. The young man who was wearing a manager's vest stood beside the middle-aged woman. "Go on Margaret, do what he says". She worked furiously to pull the money out of the drawer.

"Put it in a plastic bag." He waved the gun toward the metal rack holding all the bags.

The clerk quickly pulled one out and stuffed the money inside. Her trembling hand held it out to him. He grabbed it and turned around to look at his companion. "Come on, let's go Anna."

Suddenly a voice rang out. "Put the gun down, punk."

Everyone froze in motion and turned to look at a burly-sized man, dressed in a black jacket, a flannel shirt and dark blue jeans. He had a gun raised and pointed at Michael. His face was set with a quiet determination, eyes devoid of fear.

The blonde standing next to Amy began to cry and started to drop to her knees.. Amy grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Don't move, sweetie." Her voice was barely above a whisper. Her eyes remained fixed on what was happening.

Michael looked over at Anna. A hint of sadness crossed his face for a moment, then disappeared. He whipped around and fired at the man, shooting him in the leg. As the man fell to the ground, his gun went off and hit Anna in the right arm. She screamed and fell to the floor. The man's gun fell out of his hand and skittered towards the door.

Time seemed to stop and instinct seemed to kick in for Amy. Whether it was the science that had been so much a part of her life or her own grit for survival, she didn't know. She shoved the young girls behind the register display to hide them. The man shot in the leg was crying out in pain, his hand trying to reach where he had been shot.

Michael looked back at Anna crumpled on the floor. She was holding her arm trying to stem the blood staining her jacket. He glanced over at Amy and pointed his gun at her. "Don't try anything, lady."

"I won't. See?" Amy put her hands up slightly. "Why don't we all calm down here? No one else needs to get hurt." Suddenly her phone shrilled from her purse. Damn, what awful timing thought Amy.

"Don't you dare answer that."

"I won't, believe me. That's what voicemail is for."

Michael hesitated for a moment, then looked down at Anna, then over at the man lying on the floor and then suddenly ran for the exit.

Anna watched him go, her face a mixture of pain and hurt. She forced herself to her feet, and with a look of grim determination walked over and picked up the man's gun from the floor. Blood stains left a trail of bright copper where she had stumbled to the weapon. She pointed the gun at the manager.. "Get over here and lock the front door."

The young man came out from behind the counter. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a set of keys. He carefully walked past the blood and worked quickly to turn the lock to shut.

"Okay, go stand next to that woman." Anna waved her hand in Amy's direction. As he walked past, she grimaced and took a deep breath.

"Anna."

She turned at the sound of Amy's voice, startled at hearing her name. "What?"

"While I am not a medical doctor, I am a scientist and have some first aid knowledge so how about you let me stop that man from bleeding to death." Amy stated. "It might go easier on you if they find out that you made some kind of effort to help him."

Anna turned her head to look at the man on the floor. He appeared to be sliding in and out of consciousness. She glanced back at Amy. "Fine, do what you need to."

Amy lifted her purse from her shoulder and threw it to the floor. She ran over to the guy on the floor, and looked over at the manager. "Are you wearing a belt?"

"Yes."

"Pull it off and bring it here." Amy knelt down. "I may not need it yet, it depends on whether it hit an artery."

The clerk reached under his vest, and undid his belt. Pulling it out of the loops, he rushed over to where Amy was studying the wound on the man's leg.

The shooter raised his head slightly. "Do you think you can patch me up?" He looked at Amy with pleading eyes.

Amy gave him a small smile. "I am certainly going to do my best." She turned and yelled out to the two young women standing by the display. "You, two, go gather up some first aid supplies. We need bandages, alcohol, cotton balls, some latex gloves, water and look for something to use as some padding, towels or sweatshirts."

"I'll help them. I know where everything is." The manager grabbed a shopping cart and headed off to the back of store. "Let's go ladies! We have work to do."

"Make sure you don't try anything stupid either." Anna shouted at him. "Because I would hate to have to shoot your clerk over there." She pointed the gun at Margaret. "You, come out from around the counter and stand over there by the cash machine where I can keep an eye on you."

Margaret had stood motionless next to the open register, hardly breathing hoping she would be forgotten, but that idea flew away like a mote in the still air. She closed the drawer and shuffled towards the ATM by the front door. She started to speak, but when she saw the stern expression on Anna's face, she closed her mouth. Margaret looked over at Amy, focusing her mind on something, anything, to quiet her pounding nerves.

Amy started removing his jacket and unbuttoning the wounded man's flannel shirt. "I need to use this to apply pressure to your wound. Do you think you can help me a bit?"

"I think so."

"Just raise up so I can pull this stuff off." Amy helped him as he struggled to raise himself off the floor.

Amy got the jacket off and thrust it aside. She wadded the shirt into a large ball. Setting it on top of the wound, Amy took both of her hands and began applying pressure. She glanced up at Anna. "Really? You are going to dig yourself into a deeper hole, by killing someone?"

"Just keep working on him, and don't worry about me." Anna barked and then suddenly her head whipped to the sound of police sirens off in the distance. She moved closer to the front door and could see several cars moving down East Orange Boulevard, the flashing red lights punching through the burgeoning dusk settling the night air.

Her left hand reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She glanced over at the clerk and glared at her. "You pressed the panic button didn't you?"

The clerk kept quiet as she watched Anna's fingers fly across the screen as she dialed 911.

Amy saw what she was doing and shook her head. As she turned her attention back to stopping the bleeding on the man's leg, she heard the voice of the 911 operator.

"911, what is your emergency?" A woman's voice echoed out.

Anna yelled into the phone. "You had better keep the cops out of this store, or it is going to get ugly real fast."

"Who is this?"

"Don't worry about that. You tell the police to back off and don't try to come in here."

Silence greeted Anna as she could hear the operator yelling out to someone. "We may have a hostage situation."

"Where?" A man's voice yelled out.

"At the Walgreens, 670 N Lake Ave." The operator replied. "It's a cell phone that the call is on, not the business phone."

"Okay, let me contact the watch commander. Try to get some more information."

The manager and the two young girls came careening out of the aisle and rushed over to Amy. He began pulling the stuff out of the basket and set them on the floor next to her.

"Okay, one of you girls, take that sweatshirt and put it under his head. Not too high, just enough so that it isn't laying on that cold floor. Kind of like a small pillow. Flat, not in a ball." Amy kept one ear cocked so she could hear what was going on with the dispatcher. She watched the young Asian girl follow her instructions, making an almost perfect square and slowly raise the man's head, placing it gently on the sweatshirt.

"Good job."

Amy looked over at the other young woman standing next to the manager. "What's your name?"

"Cindy." She replied softly.

"Okay, Cindy, I need you to help him get everything out of the boxes and containers, and place the stuff where I can get to them quickly. Cindy dropped to her knees and began opening boxes of gauze. The manager pulled bottles of water out of package. He opened a couple of bottles and placed them close to the man's leg.

Amy looked down at the wadded shirt and slowly pulled it away from the wound. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that the blood flow appeared to be slowing a bit. "Well, it looks like it missed an artery, so that's good news. I don't know if the bullet is still in there, and I am not going to root around in there to look for it, so we will just bandage him up as good as we can until he can get to the hospital."

Suddenly a flash of recognition crossed Amy's face. She turned her face to look at Anna. "You're Anna Taylor, aren't you?"

Anna whipped her head around and gazed at Amy. "Yes, how do you know that?" She could hear the operator calling out to her, but ignored it.

"Well, it's kind of hard not to forget one of the women who found it easy to bully you in your first year of college." Amy's eyes hardened as she spat the words out. Her hands grabbed a pair of gloves and snapped them on. Reaching for a bottle of water and gauze, she poured a little on top of the gaping hole, catching most of the blood with the gauze. She picked up some more gauze and covered the wound.

"Okay Cindy, tear off some of that adhesive tape and hand it to me." Amy applied the tape carefully. "Now, I need you to open some more gauze so I can wrap it all the way around his leg to hold this bandage in place." Cindy turned to the task at hand and unwrapped a long roll of it and handed to Amy.

Amy began strapping the gauze around the man's leg and eventually was satisfied with her handiwork. She stood up, grabbing a blanket from the pile of stuff that the manager had brought to the front. Amy laid it over the man. "You need to keep warm so you don't go into shock. Just lay as quiet and still as you can, okay? I know it hurts, but it's important you don't move around much."

Anna opened her mouth slightly and realized as Amy's words sunk in, her ugly past had finally caught up to her. "Amy Farrah-Fowler." Anna shook her head and turned back to listen to the operator calling out to her.

Chapter Two

Penny knocked once on Sheldon's door and opened it to see Sheldon typing away on his computer. "Sheldon, when was the last time you heard from Amy?"

He looked up from his computer and glanced at her. "It's been a couple of hours. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I asked her if she would stop at Walgreens and pick up a couple of bottles of wine on her way over here, but it has been over an hour. It should not have taken her that long." Penny walked over to where he was sitting. "I have been calling and calling her phone, but she doesn't answer and it goes to her voicemail and I couldn't reach Leonard, so I sent him a text to call either one of us when he gets a chance."

Sheldon grabbed his phone from the desk and swiped his fingers across the front. He tapped Amy's picture and after a few seconds, he hung up. "Same for me.. I don't like this Penny." He stood up and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. "Let's go see if we can find her."

Penny headed back out the door. "Let me go grab my purse."

Sheldon grabbed his keys from the bowl and slammed the front door. Penny came rushing out of her apartment. "I'll drive Sheldon; you keep trying to call her." They both rushed down the stairs and out the front entrance of the building. Penny rushed around to the driver's side and Sheldon jumped in the passenger seat.

"Which Walgreens was she going to?" Sheldon asked.

"The one on Lake, near East Orange Grove."

Sheldon began entering information into his phone. "Take El Molino down to Earlham, it might be quicker than trying to get through the traffic on Los Robles."

"Okay, got it." Penny shifted the car into drive and pulled out into traffic. She started to gun the accelerator, but stopped herself. She didn't feel like listening to Sheldon complain about her driving too fast.

Sheldon looked over at the speedometer and then at her. "Now, you decide to drive slow. Step on it."

Penny looked at him and grinned. "I was hoping you would say something like that." The car suddenly sped down Woodbury towards El Molino.

"Hey, where my woman is concerned, I don't care if the cops chase us all the way there." He looked back at his phone as if he was willing it to ring.

Penny looked over at Sheldon, her eyes glistening. She could see the worry etched on his face. "I love hearing you call Amy your woman. Coming from you, it's perfect."

"Well, that's what we Texas boys call our ladies." Sheldon glanced up and smiled briefly. He tapped Amy's number again and when he knew deep down she wasn't going to answer, he slammed the phone down on his leg.

Penny turned her attention back to the road and found herself practically on top of El Molino. She made a sharp turn and shifted quickly into the left lane to avoid the bus stopped a few feet away. "Call the others Sheldon, and see if anyone else has heard from her." Penny tried to remain calm.

"Good idea." He picked up his phone again and punched a number on the screen. As he waited, his fingers drummed nervously on his knee. "Hello, Bernadette, have you heard from Amy?"

Penny could hear Bernadette's voice. "No, Sheldon, I haven't. Is something wrong?"

"Neither Penny or I have been able to reach her and she should have been at the apartment a long time ago."

"I haven't talked to her since this morning Sheldon. Where was she last?"

"Penny had asked her to stop at the Walgreens over at Lake and East Orange Grove to pick up some wine and that was way over an hour ago. We are heading over there now to see if we can find out anything."

"Well, I hope everything is alright. Keep us informed."

"Okay, well, thank you. If you do hear from her, will you call me right away?"

"You bet Sheldon. Talk to you later."

Sheldon lowered his head and took a deep breath as he hit the end button. He turned and gazed out the window as the car sped down El Molino. His mind drifted as the buildings flashed by in a blur, lights popping on as darkness began to settle across the streets of Pasadena. He could feel something was wrong. His heart squeezed in his chest as different scenarios erupted in his brain. The thought of her injured or worse only added to the panic slowly rising to the surface. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

"Sheldon." Penny called out to him.

He turned towards her voice.

Penny nearly lost it when she saw the moistness in his eyes. "You haven't tried Raj yet."

"Oh, yeah." He raised his phone and looked for Raj's picture in his contact list. He brought it up to his ear.

"Hi Sheldon. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you have heard from Amy in the last hour or so?"

"No. She hasn't called me. What's going on?"

Sheldon's rubbed his hand across his forehead as he realized they were out of options. "She was making a stop at the Walgreens to pick up some wine for Penny, but that's been some time now and neither Penny nor I can reach her. It's just not like her to go this long without letting me know if something is wrong."

"I'm sorry Sheldon, I hope everything is alright." Raj's voice got quiet. "I will be sure and let you know right away if I hear anything."

"Okay, thanks." Sheldon hung up. "Well, we are out people to call Penny." He lowered the phone to his knee.

"Well, we are almost there." She made a quick left onto Earlham and floored the gas pedal. As the car got closer to Lake, Penny slowed down as she spied dozens of police cars blocking the intersection with Lake, red lights flashing furiously. "Oh, no!" She looked over at Sheldon. He had seen it too. His face was frozen in fear. She quickly pulled into the business just before the roadblock and parked the car in the corner of the lot, hoping to get a better view of what was happening.

Chapter Three

"Alright, miss, we told them not to go rushing inside. Now how about you tell me what is going on? If you're willing." Her voice was soft and calm. "First of all let's start off with finding out a little bit about yourself. What's your name?"

"Anna Taylor."

"Okay, Anna, let's take it easy and see if we can figure this all out and get everyone home tonight."

Anna sighed. "Look lady, I didn't mean for this to happen, I panicked okay. My boyfriend started all this by deciding to rob the place against my better judgment mind you, but when some dude in here tried to stop him by pulling a gun on him, things went south in a hurry."

"Is anyone hurt?" the operator asked.

"Yeah, me and the guy who had the gun." Anna coughed slightly.

"Where are you injured?"

"In my right arm. The scumbag boyfriend shot the guy in the leg and then his gun went off and a bullet carved a nice hole in my flesh."

"And, what about the man? How bad is he hurt?"

"I don't know, but here, you can talk to the woman trying to help him." Anna walked over and held the phone out to Amy.

Amy took it in her left hand and held it up to her ear. "Hello."

"Hello miss." the dispatcher replied. "How are you doing?

"Well, it has certainly been an eventful evening so far, but I guess I am alright." Amy answered.

"What is the condition of the man who was shot?"

"Well, the bullet didn't hit an artery, but he is still losing a bit of blood. I managed to get some of the bleeding stopped by applying deep pressure to the wound. I cleaned it up and bandaged it. He seems to be okay so far and doesn't appear to be going into shock, just in a lot of pain."

"Are you a doctor?" The voice on the other end asked.

"Not a medical doctor, but I have a PhD. in Neurobiology and have some medical knowledge, so I guess for him, it was a good thing I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

The operator chuckled. "Yes, I guess so. What is your name?

"Amy Farrah-Fowler."

"Well, Amy, hopefully we can get this all resolved soon. Can I talk to Anna again?"

"Sure." Amy looked over at Anna and saw a mixture of regret and longing as she handed her the phone. She saw Anna tried to hide it, but it had been a second too late and Amy could feel a twinge of sadness bubble up for this woman who had been a constant torment to her years ago. Anna took the phone from Amy and walked off towards the front door.

Amy turned back to look down at the man with the gunshot wound. "Do you think you can hang on a little longer?"

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks for helping me." He gave her a sheepish grin

.

"You're welcome. Although, I hate to tell you that you are probably going to get into trouble yourself for carrying a gun around. It's kind of against the law here you know."

He looked away for a second and then back at Amy. "Yeah, I know, but I'm not from California and had only stopped in to pick up some stuff. I kind of forgot I had it in my jacket pocket. Then when I heard what was going on, I guess my anger got the better of me." His voice trailed off.

"Well, you just rest now." Amy looked back at the manager and the others. "Let's see if we can clean up some of this mess and everybody should have some water to drink. It's been a bit harrowing around here." She looked over at Anna who had turned around. "These people need to get some liquid in them and you should let me look at the wound. At least put a bandage on it."

Anna nodded her head and turned her attention back to the phone. Amy could hear the operator ask Anna if everyone else was okay.

"Yeah, no one else is hurt, although I am sure they would much rather be someplace else."

"Well, they could be, if you would find it in you someplace to call all this off. I know you are probably thinking differently, but in the long run it will be better for you if you let everyone go."

Anna didn't say anything right away. "Let me think on a bit." Her eyes scanned the mess of bandages and blood that lay strewn across the floor. She watched the manager drag the trash can over and start throwing things inside. The college girls reached down to help.

"Don't hang up okay; just lay the phone down if you need some time. I don't want you to have to start this conversation over with someone else."

"Alright." Anna laid the phone down on the floor and walked over to Amy who was handing out water to everyone. She opened a bottle and handed it to Anna.

"Here, you need to drink some of this."

Anna took the bottle in her left hand and noticed the diamond ring on Amy's left hand. She stared at it and then looked up at Amy. "You're engaged?" She swigged down almost half of the water and then wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her jacket. "Who would have thought that?"

"Yeah, who would have thought that?" Amy said in a deadpan voice.

"So what happened to that nerdy girl back in college?"

Amy walked over and picked up a bottle of water in one hand, bandages, gauze and tape in the other. She crooked a finger at Anna. "Come on; let's get your arm cleaned." Anna stuffed the gun in her jacket pocket and walked over to stand in front of Amy.

"Do you need some help getting your jacket off?

"Yeah, I guess so." She shrugged her left arm out of her sweatshirt and Amy pulled on the right sleeve taking care not to pull on her wound and keep the gun from going off. Amy handed the supplies to Anna to hold in the crook of her arm.

"You still haven't answered my question." Anna reminded her.

"Well, let's see. After I got through college," Amy opened the water and poured a little on some gauze. "I finished getting my doctorate and I came to Pasadena to work on research. Pretty much led a lonely existence, but at least I was away from my mother." Amy set the gauze on Anna's wound.

Anna flinched and sucked in a quick breath. "And, then?"

"Then, about four years ago, I put my profile on this dating site, positive nothing would ever come of it. But, as it happened I was matched up with this brilliant scientist and we met in a coffee shop one day." Amy ripped some adhesive tape off the roll and placed a strip along one edge of the gauze. "And, we have been together ever since. His friends eventually accepted me, I have girlfriends who care about my life and as of this morning, a wonderful man who wants to marry me." She smiled at Anna as she put another piece of tape along the other edge of the bandage.

"Sounds like you did okay for yourself." Anna stated. "Unlike me of course."

"Yeah, I guess I did at that." Amy took the bandages from Anna and laid them on the floor. "Drink some more water; you don't want to get dehydrated." She cocked her head at Anna. "What happened to you, you seemed like a bright girl, in spite of your flaws."

Anna took a couple of sips from the bottle. "Yeah, well being bright doesn't mean you always make the right choices and I made a doozy after that first year." She looked down at the bandage and then back up at Amy. "I fell into the old trap of falling for the first guy who worked his charms and magic, sweeping me off my feet and saying all the right things. But, six months later I guess he tired of me nagging him to make a commitment and one day I came home to find that he had taken the first express train to splitsville."

Amy reached down and grabbed a bottle of water. "Ah, I see." She drank several sips of water. "What happened then?"

"Unfortunately, more mistakes." She finished the last of the water from the bottle and chucked it into the trash can the manager was using. "I had quit school and my parents had cut off most of my money. They gave me enough to keep me off the streets, but I tried not to take it most of the time. I drifted from relationship to relationship, job to job and for the last year I have been with that douchebag Michael. I really thought we were going somewhere, but then he lost his job a few months ago." She dropped her head into her left hand for a second and then looked up at Amy. Her violet eyes had pooled with large tears. "And, we ran out of money and it was time to pay the rent."

Amy patted her arm a bit. "And, he thought resorting to this," she waved her hand around the bloodied floor, "would make it all magically better."

Anna wiped her eyes with her fingers, smearing mascara under her eyes. "I tried to talk him out of it, that I could get the money from my parents, but he wouldn't hear of it."

"Well, you can always put an end to this before it gets worse Anna. You are a smart woman and I would bet that if you reach inside and dig out some courage and do the right thing, life will eventually get better."

Anna thrust her hand into her pocket and pulled out the gun. "I don't know if I have any of that Amy." Her eyes looked down at the floor.

Amy put her hand on Anna's arm. "Look at me Anna."

Anna looked up. Amy looked deep into her eyes. "Yes, you do and if you need a little help to find some, I will be glad to speak to whomever necessary on your behalf, that this was not some premeditated idea of yours."

A flash of surprise washed across Anna's face. "You would do that for me? Why? I wasn't such a nice person to you; in fact, I was downright cruel most of the time. If I were you, I would probably tell me to not let hit the cell door hit me on the ass on the way in."

Amy smiled. "Had this happened a few years ago, I probably would tell you that, but as time goes on, you learn to let go of pain, and everyone deserves a second chance. I still think you have some great potential and maybe with someone in your corner to guide you in the right direction, you will find the path out of the past."

Anna looked down at the gun in her hand and took a deep breath. She then walked over to the counter and laid it down.

Chapter Four

Penny had barely stopped the car, when Sheldon jumped out and took off running to the nearest officer he could find. "Sheldon! Stop! You can't just go running up there!" Penny hopped out of the car and began following him.

Sheldon ran up to the officer standing by the closest patrol car. "Excuse me officer, can you tell me what's going on? Is there something wrong at that drugstore?" His voice pleaded in earnest.

The officer looked up and down at Sheldon. A dark look crossed his rugged face, a face that had seen way too many years on the streets of Pasadena. "Why do you want to know?"

"I think my fiancée is in that Walgreens." He tried to point at the store in the dark amid the several police cars parked around the street.

Penny had just come up behind Sheldon when she heard him say fiancée. She opened her mouth to say something, but clamped it shut. This was not the time to pester him with twenty questions.

The policeman softened a bit and hesitated. He knew he shouldn't say anything, but the way the young man had asked him, pleading for an answer caused him to throw all caution away. "Well, we have a hostage situation in there, a robbery gone bad it seems. What makes you think your fiancée is in there?

Sheldon lowered his head into his hand when he heard what the officer told him. No, this can't be happening. Not his Amy. He swept his fingers across his face as he raised it to look at the officer. "She was supposed to be at my apartment over an hour ago and my friend here," he pointed at Penny, "had asked her to stop there on her way to pick up some wine. And, we haven't been able to reach her on her phone."

"Let me see if the dispatcher has any more information, I can't promise you anything mind you." The policeman leaned his down to speak into his radio clipped to his shoulder. "By the way what is your fiancée's name?"

"Amy Farrah Fowler." Sheldon choked the words out.

"I am going to go over here and talk to the dispatcher. It's procedure, okay?"

Sheldon nodded and crossed his arms. Penny stood next to Sheldon and then wrapped her arm around his elbow. She remained quiet, knowing that he didn't need to hear a bunch of platitudes. He only needed the comfort of a friend. They both watched in earnest at the officer as he stood close to the trunk of his patrol car.

The policeman clicked the mike on his radio. "E51 to dispatch."

"Go ahead, E51."

"Yes, I have a gentleman out here who thinks that one of the hostages inside the store is his fiancée. Do we have any information on them?"

"Hang on for a few E51; I will see what I can find out."

"10-4"

The officer looked back over at Sheldon as he waited. He startled himself as a small nugget of compassion seemed to drift out of his soul for the guy. Had he buried his feelings so deep through the years that he had lost the capacity to feel? As Sheldon's face switched between a mixture of despair and fear looking across a swarm of flashing red lights, he wondered if maybe it was time to kick all this crap to the curb.

"E51?"

He shook himself out of his reverie and his fingers reached up to his radio. "Go ahead."

"Yes, she is inside the store, but she is fine. The 911 operator has talked to her about the medical condition of someone else in the store who was hurt. They are trying to convince the person to let everyone go and as soon as we know something, we will let you know."

"Thanks dispatch."

"10-4, E51"

The policeman walked back to Sheldon and Penny. Sheldon looked at him with a sense of dread. "I did find out that your fiancée is inside, but she is okay. The operator talked to her to get a sense of the medical condition of someone else that is injured."

Sheldon's face sagged in relief and grabbed Penny into a huge bear hug. Penny seemed startled by the ferocity of his joyous response to the policeman's news, but she returned his embrace with the same enthusiasm. He let her go a few seconds later and stuck his hand out to the officer.

"Thank you sir, for your kindness. I appreciate it a lot."

The policeman took Sheldon's hand and shook it firmly. "You're welcome." He let go of Sheldon's hand and nodded his head at the Walgreens. "Hopefully we can get this situation under control and you will see her soon."

"Okay. We will get out of your way and wait over there." He pointed at Penny's car. "Thanks again."

"No problem." The officer turned and walked back over to the crowd of patrol cars.

Sheldon looked over at Penny. "Come on." He walked back to where Penny had stopped her car. He sat on the hood and rested his elbows on his knees, his eyes focused on the drugstore. Penny followed and hopped up beside him.

Sheldon glanced over at her. "Is this what real love is? That your whole being can have itself turned upside down and inside out when you think you may lose that person."

Penny felt her eyes mist up as she looked at him. "I guess so Sheldon, I have never been deep in love with someone until Leonard came along, so this is all new territory for me too." She looked down at her lap. "I feel so bad about what has happened, Sheldon. If I hadn't asked her to stop there none of this would have happened."

He patted her arm. "Penny, we have no control over forces that swirl around us, setting into motion events that will either kill you or save you. It really is quite fascinating if you stop to think about it. How the actions of one person control the actions or decisions of another. You asked Amy for a favor to go by that particular drugstore," he nodded towards the direction of the Walgreens, "but unbeknownst to her or anyone else, some individual decided that at that same time he or she was going to rob it, setting up a chain of events that has resulted in the scene we have before us." He glanced down at the concrete beneath his feet. "Sometimes they don't end well, and sometimes they do, like tonight."

Penny ran her hand through her hair. "I guess so and what you say makes sense, but it still doesn't make it easier."

"I know, but you are a strong woman. You'll get past it." His head lifted up and turned at an angle to look at her. "Besides my mother, you are the strongest person I know."

"Thanks Sheldon." Penny scooted close to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "By the way, why did you tell that officer that Amy was your fiancée?"

Sheldon sighed. "Because I asked her to marry me this morning before we went to work and we both agreed to keep it a secret until dinner tonight." He looked back down at the ground and joined his hands together. "I originally planned to ask her then, but I couldn't wait. So, we decided that you guys should be told before anyone else since all of you are the reason Amy and I have each other in our lives. I hadn't realized I blurted it out until it was too late."

She reached down and lifted his chin towards her. Small tears glistened at the corner of her eyes. "I promise I will keep your secret safe, Sheldon."

"Thanks Penny." He grinned slightly and turned his attention back to the Walgreens, wishing that it was all over, that he could put his arms around Amy and hold her tight.

Chapter Five

Amy walked over and picked up the phone from the floor. "Hello?"

"Yes, I'm still here." The operator replied.

"This is Amy. Anna has decided to give herself up, but I don't want a bunch of officers running in here making a big scene. The gun is out of her hand, laying on the counter so there is no need for that. She needs help, not a bunch of people roughing her up."

"No problem, I think we can work that out. Give me a few minutes to coordinate it."

"Alright." She laid the phone against her ear and stood quietly, her heart beginning to slow to a normal rhythm. Her adrenaline began a slow descent through her body and all she could think of was Sheldon, if he was doing okay. She desperately wanted to pull her phone out of her purse and return the dozens of calls that she knew had burned up her voicemail.

"Amy?"

"Yes, I'm here."

"I'm going to hang up and let the incident commander contact you to work everything out okay?"

"Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome. You did a good job you know."

Amy smiled. "Thanks." The line went dead and after a few seconds, it rang again. She tapped the answer button. "Hello?"

"Hello Amy, I'm Lieutenant Mitchell."

"Hello, sir." Amy liked his voice. Not gruff, but soothing and confident.

"I just wanted you to know it will only be me and one other officer that are going to come inside. Can you have the manager unlock the door for us?"

"Sure." Amy waved at the manager and made a motion with her hands to the upper part of the door. Her eyes glanced over at Anna, leaning against the counter, her head resting on her chest. She seemed so small now that the bravado was gone. She moved herself out of the way a bit so the manager could get to the lock. Amy looked out the door searching into the dark and finally saw the lieutenant and another officer come into view in the outside light that shone at the entrance. She hung up the phone and waited as they stepped inside.

A tall, black man dressed in a crisp white uniform shirt and black pants walked up to her. "Amy?" His large hand reached out to her. The officer accompanying him stood just behind him, his hand resting on the gun in his holster.

"Yes, I'm Amy." She slipped her small hand into his and smiled. "Thank you for this. Anna," she nodded her head in the direction of the register, "could use a bit of empathy. She didn't plan any of this, but didn't see a way out once the boyfriend up and left her here."

Lieutenant Mitchell removed his hand from Amy's. "It happens sometimes." He flashed a small grin at her. "We will do what we can to make it a bit easier to swallow." He moved out of the way to allow the policeman inside. "Officer Grainger if you would please take Ms. Taylor out to the patrol car and go easy on the handcuffs." He glanced over at him and flashed a hard stare towards his direction.

"Yes, sir." Officer Grainger stepped around the lieutenant and walked over to Anna.

Anna raised her head and stood up straight. Turning around she put her arms behind her, but let out a small yelp as she tried to bend her right arm back.

Lieutenant Mitchell called out to him. "Forget the cuffs, Grainger, I think she will be alright." His hand reached up to his radio. "Dispatch, send the EMT's in here."

"10-4, W5"

Anna turned around slowly and walked over to the lieutenant. "Sorry, I caused all this trouble. I apparently forgot to pack my good sense with me when I left the house this morning."

Lieutenant Mitchell nodded at her. "Well, you must be carrying a small piece of it with you or we wouldn't be standing here hashing all this out."

Looking over at Amy and then back at the lieutenant, "She was pretty good at helping me with that and hopefully someday I can repay her kindness."

Just then the EMT's arrived at the door and everyone stepped aside to allow them in. They rushed to the side of the man on the floor and carefully lifted him onto the stretcher. One of them, a young woman with her brunette hair swept back into a ponytail stopped by Anna's side. "If it's okay sir, we should probably look at her arm before you take her off to booking. I am going to take her out to the back of the ambulance where we have some more equipment."

"Yeah, sure, go ahead." He watched them walk outside and as Officer Grainger got closer he stopped him. "Don't worry about following, she isn't going anywhere. Take these other people to some of the squad cars and get those officers to get their statements."

"Yes sir." Grainger motioned for the manager and the others to follow him outside.

The manager stopped in front of the Lieutenant Mitchell. "If possible can I wait until last? I need to lock up the store when you are done, or I need to call a supervisor to come here and do it."

"Don't worry about it, I will have someone at the dispatch office call them. Just give the number to the officer and they will call it in."

The manager nodded and followed the police officer outside.

The lieutenant looked over at Amy. "Are, you ready to get out of here?"

Amy sighed. "You have no idea how ready I am." She walked over to pick her purse up off the floor and threw Anna's phone inside. Lieutenant Mitchell waved her out the door first and Amy's eyes flashed shut as they adjusted to the night sky and red flashing lights everywhere.

Chapter Six

Penny jumped as her phone went off. Looking down at the screen she saw that it was Leonard. "Hi sweetie." She slid off the hood and walked off a bit. "What took you so long to call or text me?"

"I'm sorry Penny, I thought I had my phone with me and when I realized I didn't I went straight home to get it. And, when no one was there, I became worried. So, I called Howard and Bernadette told me that you and Sheldon were out looking for Amy. What's going on?"

"Oh, it's been a real hoot let me tell you." She walked around in circles, occasionally looking up at Sheldon. "Apparently Amy got involved in some kind of hostage thing after a robbery went wrong at the Walgreens on North Lake. She's okay thank goodness; we just found that out a little bit ago."

"Damn! How's Sheldon holding up?"

"He's okay now that he knows she's alright." Her eyes caught Sheldon jumping off the car, his attention drawn behind her. She turned and saw the officer that had helped them find out about Amy walking towards them. "Let me call you right back, we may have some more news."

Sheldon continued walking towards the police officer. "Is something wrong?" he asked him.

"No, actually I was coming to tell you that it's all over." He stopped in front of Sheldon and placed his hands on his gunbelt. "If you would like I can take you over there so you can see her before she has to go make a statement."

Sheldon grinned at him. "Boy, would I ever!" He turned and looked at Penny who had made it to his side. "I'm going to go with him to see Amy, why don't you go home.. I'll drive Amy's car to the police station."

Penny smiled. "Sure, Sheldon, that sounds fine. I'll see you later." She watched in silence as she watched him walk away with the police officer.

Sheldon followed the policeman to his squad car, his excitement rising knowing that he would soon see Amy's beautiful face. He glanced sideways at the man who had been kind enough to help him and as he studied the deep age lines and weathered skin, Sheldon wondered what possessed him to continue to put his life in peril every day when he certainly could put it all behind him.

"Thank you again sir, for helping me out." Sheldon said in a low voice.

"The name's Sean. I'm old, but not that old that you should keep calling me sir." A wide smile flashed across his face. "What's your name?"

"Sheldon." He smiled at Sean.

"Well, Sheldon, let's see if we can find your fiancée amidst the chaos over there."

They approached the patrol car and Sheldon walked around to the passenger side and waited for Sean to get in and unlock the door. Sheldon eased himself into the seat and looked around in amazement at how cramped it seemed between the computer equipment and the shotgun perched in its slot. "How in the world do you function in all of this?" He looked over at Sean.

"It's a bit tough, but you get used to it." He fastened his seatbelt and then typed something into his laptop. He grinned and then pulled his radio mike into his hand. "E51 to dispatch."

"Go ahead, E51." A male voice filled the car. His eyes flicked around the scene as he watched car after car clear the area.

"Heading over to the Walgreens with the fiancée of Ms. Farrah-Fowler. I'll be 10-8 back in my district after that."

"10-4, E51"

Sean popped the radio back into the holder. He looked over at Sheldon. "As soon as you get strapped in we'll be off."

"Oh, yeah, good point." Sheldon grabbed the belt and clicked it.

Sean backed the patrol car up a bit and then slowly eased it out onto Lake and headed to the Walgreens. He turned sharply into the drive and eased the vehicle to a stop as close as he could get to the front of the store. "This is far as we can go, so I will see if I can get you over there." He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. Sheldon followed suit, his eyes searching everywhere for Amy.

Sean stopped and conversed for a few seconds with a fellow officer, then turned and beckoned to Sheldon to follow him. Sheldon rushed to catch up to him. As they made their way through the patrol vehicles and several officers, Sheldon felt his insides pop with excitement, when suddenly he saw Amy standing next to the ambulance talking to a young woman having her arm tended to by an EMT.

He stopped and stared for a few seconds. Amy stopped talking and turned her face. Sheldon felt his eyes mist as she smiled and headed towards him. "There she is Sean!"

Sean looked over at Sheldon and eyes followed the direction he was looking. As he saw the woman heading in their direction, he moved out of the way.

Sheldon ran towards Amy and as she found her way into his arms, he began planting kisses all over face, finally reaching her mouth. His lips brushed hers briefly then he kissed her in earnest, not caring who noticed. He didn't want to let this moment slip away yet, he needed it, to feel the taste of her, that she was indeed in front of him. That it was not a dream. Finally, his brain made him let go.

He gazed into her beautiful green eyes, the tears that were starting to slowly drip down her soft cheeks. "I'm so glad you're alright, I was so worried."

Amy gulped. "I'm okay, now that I am in your arms. It will always be okay as long as I can do that Sheldon."

"You just try and stop me." He hugged her, lifting her slightly off the ground. "I will never tire of holding you close to me."

Just then they heard a small cough behind them. Sheldon set Amy down and released her. He turned around to see Sean standing there.

"Sorry to interrupt your reunion Sheldon, but we need to take her to the station to get her statement while it is still fresh in her mind."

"Yes, of course." He looked back at Amy and then back at Sean. "I did want to introduce you first, so you could see how special she is to me." He grabbed her left hand in his. "Sean, this is Amy, my fiancée."

Amy flashed a warm smile at the officer and held out her right hand to him.

Sean grabbed her small hand in his large one and shook it firmly. "Nice to meet you Amy." He grinned at her.

"Same for me Sean."

Sheldon glanced over at Amy. "He was very kind to me when Penny and I tried to find out what was going on." He turned his head to look at Sean.

"Well, you made it easy to do Sheldon," he smiled. "I don't get too many people in this job that are as polite as you are."

"Thanks." Sheldon replied.

"Come on Amy; let's get you over to the station so you can get home." Sean turned and lifted his shoulder to follow him. He glanced back. "It shouldn't be too long Sheldon, so you can meet her there in an about an hour."

"Okay." Sheldon held out his hand to Amy. "Let me have your car keys so I can drive over there and then take you home."

Amy dug in her purse, pulled them out and handed them to Sheldon. "Here you go." She leaned up and kissed him briefly. "See you in a bit." Stepping back, her body sighed and followed Sean to his patrol car.

Sheldon watched her walk away, his eyes focused and serene. His love was safe and all was right with the world.


End file.
